Clarks family-founded British start-up Vivobarefoot has announced it
will be adding plant-shoes to its sustainable footwear offering, as part of
its strategy to become 90 percent sustainable by 2020.

Vivobarefoot’s vision is to make the most sustainable shoes on the
planet, and the founders believe that barefoot shoe-making equates to
sustainability, and its adding the ‘Primus Bio' range next year, which uses
a plant-based polymer, a natural bi-product of the field corn food
industry, in the sole and upper of the shoes.

The plant-shoes will mark the brand’s lightest and most environmentally
sound shoe to date, and follows its previous shoes made of repurposed algae
and its Eco range made of 50 percent recycled plastic, with 17 recycled
bottles per pair.

“Put simply, we believe that the perfect shoe is perfect for feet. With
minimal environmental impact on the planet,” said Asher Clark, design
director at Vivobarefoot in a press release. “Sustainability is journey and
the Primus Bio champions the future of sustainable materials which I
believe will be largely bio based. This is an exciting step in the right
direction away from the single use petroleum based alternatives commonly
used in sports shoes.”

Primus Bio range will be available from 2019 and features an entire sole
of the plant-based polymer, Susterra Propanediol, and 70 percent of the
upper. As well as being sustainable, the plant-based material also gives
greater flexibility in the cold and is incredibly resilient to abrasions
and general wear, said the brand.

In addition, Susterra Propanediol uses 42 percent less energy than the
standard petroleum based materials used by the global footwear industry,
and 56 percent less greenhouse gas emissions.

London-based Vivobarefoot was launched in 2012 by two cousins from a
long line of cobblers, Galahad and Asher Clark, with a mission statement to
change the footwear industry based on one simple insight — “shoes should
let your feet do their natural thing”. It’s range is produced sustainably
using recycled, locally sourced materials in independently monitored
factories.